neurosis
[noo-roh-sis, nyoo-]
- Also called psychoneurosis. a functional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thoughts, compulsive acts, and physical complaints without objective evidence of disease, in various degrees and patterns, dominate the personality.
- a relatively mild personality disorder typified by excessive anxiety or indecision and a degree of social or interpersonal maladjustment.
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Origin of neurosis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
inhibitionbreakdownpsychopathyabnormalitymadnessaberrationderangementinsanitydeviationphobiaafflictioninstabilitycompulsionobsessionhysteriamaladjustmentneurastheniaExamples from the Web for neuroses
Contemporary Examples
From a novel of Brooklyn neuroses to what happens when evangelicals take over an Alaskan national park.
Would you use the same expression to describe male writers who suffer from neuroses or mental illnesses?
He would always say that a good relationship is just a pairing of neuroses.
Ellen Barkin on 'Another Happy Day,' Sam Levinson, and Being a 'Broad'Kevin Sessums
November 16, 2011
Historical Examples
The amount is not influenced by neuroses or circulatory disturbances.
A Manual of Clinical DiagnosisJames Campbell Todd
Neuroses and psychoses are peculiarly frequent in childhood and youth.
DegeneracyEugene S. Talbot
That will not do for us, since we have taken the dream as preparation for the study of the neuroses.
A General Introduction to PsychoanalysisSigmund Freud
But that is due to the relation which the phenomena of the dream have to those of the neuroses.
A General Introduction to PsychoanalysisSigmund Freud
Our insight into the causation of the neuroses has therefore been amplified.
A General Introduction to PsychoanalysisSigmund Freud
neurosis
- a relatively mild mental disorder, characterized by symptoms such as hysteria, anxiety, depression, or obsessive behaviourAlso called: psychoneurosis
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for neuroses
neurosis
n.
1776, "functional derangement arising from disorders of the nervous system," coined by Scottish physician William Cullen (1710-1790) from Greek neuron "nerve" (see neuro-) + Modern Latin -osis "abnormal condition." Used in a general psychological sense since 1871; clinical use in psychiatry dates from 1923.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
neurosis
(nu-rō′sĭs)- A psychological state characterized by excessive anxiety or insecurity, compensated for by various defense mechanisms and lacking evidence of neurologic or other organic disease. No longer used in psychiatric diagnosis.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
neurosis
[nu-rō′sĭs]
- A psychological state characterized by excessive anxiety or insecurity without evidence of neurologic or other organic disease, sometimes accompanied by defensive or immature behaviors. This term is no longer used in psychiatric diagnosis.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
neurosis
[(noo-roh-sis, nyoo-roh-sis)]
Note
In popular usage, a “neurotic” is anyone who worries a lot.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.